The Best F1 Drivers Of The 1980s – Global Sports Planet

Editorial credit: Cineberg / Shutterstock.com

The 80s marked one of the golden ages of Formula 1. They were years of innovation and progress, in which the cars began to look more like today\’s cars. Aerodynamics took on great importance, as it became much more complex.

At the same time, engines evolved, becoming much more powerful and noisier, and although safety was greatly improved, drivers still died from time to time.

Teams such as Williams or McLaren consolidated their position as the best teams of the new era, while other historic teams such as Ferrari or Lotus experienced some dark years. With that, new drivers and rivalries emerged that would go down in the history books as Formula 1 expanded in popularity around the world.

Without further ado, let\’s take a look at some of the best Formula 1 drivers of the 1980s.

1. Alain Prost

Active years: 1980-1991, 1993

Entries: 202

Wins: 51

Podiums: 106

Pole Positions: 33

World Champion in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993

Alain Prost was undoubtedly the great protagonist of the 80s, as he was a contender throughout the decade, always remaining competitive. With 4 world championships, the Frenchman is one of the best drivers in history, and in addition, he was runner-up on 4 occasions by very little, so he could have many more championships.

The Frenchman competed in Formula 1 with McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, and Williams, and had 7 teammates, all of whom he beat at some point, including other world champions such as Keke Rosberg, Niki Lauda, and Ayrton Senna.

After two seasons with Renault in 1981 and 1982 in which he already demonstrated his great talent, it was with McLaren that he established himself as one of the best drivers in history, winning three world championships and forging historic rivalries with other world champions such as Nelson Piquet, and the aforementioned Lauda and Senna.

Prost, nicknamed the professor, because he always analyzed all the data very well and did not take unnecessary risks, was a very complete driver and always got the best out of his car, although his weak point was the rain. The 80s were his best period, but in the 90s he also remained competitive, winning his last championship in 1993.

2. Ayrton Senna

Active years: 1984-1994

Entries: 162

Wins: 41

Podiums: 80

Pole Positions: 65

World Champion in 1988, 1990 and 1991

Ayrton Senna is one of the greatest icons in the history of Formula 1. The Brazilian, who died in an accident during the San Marino GP in 1994, left one of the greatest legacies behind, being considered by many as the best driver in history, due to his great quality behind the wheel and intelligence.

The Brazilian made his F1 debut in 1984 in Toleman, one of the least competitive teams, and already in his first season, he obtained 3 incredible podiums, which earned him a seat in Lotus for the following year, with whom he obtained multiple victories and podiums during the next three years, thus consolidating himself as one of the new promises of the category.

His golden era in Formula 1 was with McLaren, where he forged his historic rivalry with Alain Prost. The Brazilian won the championship in 1988, while the Frenchman in 1989. The atmosphere in the team was unbearable, so the Frenchman joined Ferrari in 1990. Despite this, the rivalry, as well as the clashes and controversies continued, and Senna won in 1990.

In 1991 the Brazilian was unrivaled, dominating from start to finish, and after two less competitive years with McLaren, in 1994 he signed for Williams, competing in 3 races until his fatal accident. Senna was one of the most skilled drivers in history, as he always proved in wet and at Monaco, where he won 6 times.

3. Nelson Piquet

Active years: 1978-1991

Entries: 207

Wins: 23

Podiums: 60

Pole Positions: 24

World Champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987

Nelson Piquet is one of the most recognizable personalities both on and off the track. The Brazilian is one of the great legends of Formula 1 history, known for his relentless and efficient driving and his humor and temperament off the track.

Piquet made his F1 debut in 1978 but did not have a competitive car until 1981 when he was runner-up with Brabham. The Brazilian came very close to winning the championship that season, but two retirements in the last two races caused him to lose the lead to Alan Jones.

However, in 1981 things changed, and in the last six races, Piquet recovered the 17-point deficit he had with Carlos Reutemann, beating him by only 1 point. He won his second championship in 1983, also fighting until the end with Alain Prost. In 1986, the Brazilian joined Williams, winning the championship in 1987 against Nigel Mansell.

In addition to his titles, he was runner-up in 1980, and third in 1986 and 1990, as he always got the best out of his car. In the same way, he offered a great show on the track, starring great overtaking and fights, like the one he did to Senna in the 1986 Hungarian GP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v_2lfrzM0o&t=23s

4. Nigel Mansell

Active years: 1980-1992, 1994-1995

Entries: 192

Wins: 31

Podiums: 59

Pole Positions: 32

World Champion in 1992

Nigel Mansell had a long career in Formula 1, although like other drivers, such as Jenson Button, he did not always have competitive cars, so his statistics do not quite do justice to his quality behind the wheel.

Mansell made his Formula 1 debut in 1980 with Lotus, and for 5 seasons raced uncompetitive cars, scoring occasional podiums, and proving he could keep up with the best with a good car. In 1985, Mansell joined Williams, which was on the rise, and scored his first victories that season.

In 1986 and 1987, Mansell fought for the championship, first with Alain Prost and then with his teammate Nelson Piquet, starring in two of the greatest rivalries of the decade. The Briton was runner-up both seasons, albeit narrowly.

The title eluded Mansell in the 1980s. It wasn\’t until 1992, in his second stint at Williams that he won the title with the dominant FW14B, thus going down in the history books as the world champion he deserved to be.

5. Niki Lauda

Active years: 1971-1979, 1982-1985

Entries: 177

Wins: 25

Podiums: 54

Pole Positions: 24

World Champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984

Niki Lauda is, along with Emerson Fittipaldi, the best driver of the 1970s. The Austrian retired in 1979 but returned in 1982 to earn some money for his new airline, and although he was no longer in his prime, we could still see flashes of his skill.

Lauda made his comeback with McLaren, with whom he drove until he retired in 1985. In 1982 and 1983 he was very close to his teammate John Watson, although Watson beat him both seasons.

In 1984 he had Alain Prost as teammate, and both fought until the last race for the title. In the end, the Austrian famously won the title by just half a point, placing him in the Olympus of F1 drivers of the 1980s. After an uncompetitive and unreliable 1985 season, Lauda ended his F1 career for good.

6. Gerhard Berger

Active years: 1984-1997

Entries: 210

Wins: 10

Podiums: 48

Pole Positions: 12

3^rd in the championship in 1988 and 1994

With 210 entries, Gerhard Berger is amongst the most experienced F1 drivers of all time. The Austrian raced for 14 seasons and drove for ATS, Arrows, Benetton, Ferrari, and McLaren. Interestingly, his first and last victories are also the first and last victories of the Benetton team in Formula 1.

After two first seasons with uncompetitive cars in 1984 and 1985, Berger signed for Benetton in 1986, achieving the team\’s first successes in the category, which earned him a seat for 1987 with Ferrari. In 3 seasons with the Prancing Horse, the Austrian established himself as one of the most consistent and fastest drivers on the grid, even though Ferrari never had a truly winning car.

The 1988 season was his best with Ferrari, where he finished third in the championship, although far behind the two McLarens, who absolutely dominated the grid. For the 90s, Berger signed for McLaren, being thus remembered as Senna\’s perfect teammate while the Brazilian was succeeding.

As a curious fact, Gerhard Berger was the first Formula 1 driver to be sponsored by Red Bull during his time at Ferrari, long before the energy drink brand had an F1 team.

7. Keke Rosberg

Active years: 1978-1986

Entries: 128

Wins: 5

Podiums: 17

Pole Positions: 5

World Champion in 1982

Keke Rosberg\’s racing career is quite unique. The Finn, father of fellow world champion Nico Rosberg, raced 9 seasons in Formula 1, although he only really had competitive cars in a couple of seasons, so the statistics do not do him justice.

Rosberg made his F1 debut at the age of 29 in 1978, but it was not until 1980 that he achieved his first podium finish in the category, a year in which he raced with Fittipaldi Automotive, outscoring triple world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

In 1982, Rosberg signed for Williams, winning the Championship in a rather unusual way. The Finn had only 1 victory, in a season in which there were 11 race winners, boycotts, the death of some drivers, and the great debate about the ground effect cars.

Rosberg drove three more seasons with Williams, finishing third in the 1985 championship as his best result, where he beat teammate Nigel Mansell. After that, Keke raced one last season in F1 in 1986 with McLaren, where he was beaten by Alain Prost.

8. René Arnoux

Active years: 1978-1989

Entries: 165

Wins: 7

Podiums: 22

Pole Positions: 18

3^rd in the championship in 1983

René Arnoux is the second driver with the most pole positions without becoming a world champion, only behind Valtteri Bottas. The Frenchman, of humble origins, was characterized by a very aggressive driving style and a fickle way of being.

Arnoux had talent, but he never had the necessary professionalism, as he was an old-school driver, a party animal, and a smoker. In the 1979 French GP, he starred alongside Gilles Villeneuve in probably the best wheel-to-wheel battle in F1 history and became a clear contender for the world championship for the next few years.

Arnoux scored his first podiums and victories with Renault, where he shared team with Alain Prost. Prost outperformed Arnoux, but he was one of the few teammates who was very close to him all the time, thus tensions and clashes arose.

In 1983, Arnoux signed for Ferrari, and the Frenchman came closer to winning the championship than ever, arriving at the last race with a chance of winning it, but in the end, he only finished third. After that, Arnoux was never the same again, and from that moment on we could only see flashes of his talent during his racing career.

In early 1985 he was fired from Ferrari due to poor results and raced in F1 until 1989 with Ligier, a team that was not very competitive.

9. Alan Jones

Active years: 1975-1981, 1983, 1985-1986

Entries: 117

Wins: 12

Podiums: 24

Pole Positions: 6

World Champion in 1980

Although he was world champion in 1980, Alan Jones\’ peak in Formula 1 was in the late 1970s, which is why he is not higher on this list. The Australian is the son of a racing driver and inherited his father\’s passion and talent.

After Jones established himself as a fast and consistent driver, F1 arrived in the 1980s with the rise of the ground effect cars.

Williams was one of the teams that best knew how to implement it in their cars, and in 1980 Jones fought for the championship against Nelson Piquet and Carlos Reutemann, beating them with 5 victories and becoming the first world champion for Williams and the second in Australia.

In 1981 Jones was also in the fight for the championship, but this time Piquet and Reutemann beat him and he could only be third. In 1983 and 1985 he participated in some races with Arrows and Team Haas. With Team Haas he raced the 1986 season, although without a really competitive car.

The Australian commented in 2012 that he had the opportunity to drive for Ferrari after the death of Gilles Villeneuve in 1982, but the Australian gave him the runaround, something he regrets.

10. Michele Alboreto

Active years: 1981-1994

Entries: 215

Wins: 5

Podiums: 23

Pole Positions: 2

Runner-up in 1985

Like other great Italian drivers such as Nino Farina, Luigi Musso or Lorenzo Bandini, Michele Alboreto died in a racing car. The Italian died in 2001 at the age of 44 while testing Audi\’s new aerodynamics for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Alboreto was also the last Italian driver to win a race for Ferrari in Formula 1 and was one of the most iconic drivers of the 1980s, remaining in the category uninterruptedly for 14 seasons. Alboreto made his debut in 1981 with Tyrrell, obtaining one podium and two victories in 3 seasons, proving that he had the winning gene.

In 1984, Alboreto signed for Ferrari, where he drove until 1988. With the Prancing Horse, Alboreto established himself as one of the fastest drivers of the time, being runner-up in 1985 and outscoring Berger in 1987 and 1988.

With the new decade, the Italian no longer had competitive cars, so he could no longer fight for championships. Alboreto was a very versatile driver, and apart from F1, he raced in many other competitions, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997.

11. Gilles Villeneuve

Active years: 1977-1982

Entries: 68

Wins: 6

Podiums: 13

Pole Positions: 2

Runner-up in 1979

Gilles Villeneuve was one of those drivers who was different from the rest, who had something special and left a great mark in the category despite racing only 5 seasons. The Canadian had an obsession with victory and competed for everything.

His best results came at the end of the 70s, being runner-up in 1979 with Ferrari. The new decade, however, did not start very well for the Italian team, as the first years were years of sacrifice in which they tested the new V6 turbo engine, so despite being one of the best drivers of his generation, Villeneuve could not fight for championships again.

In 1981, despite having a very slow and unreliable car, Villeneuve was able to take two wins and a third place. The 1982 season started with the same problems as in 1981, as Ferrari was not competitive, although the Canadian obtained a podium at the San Marino GP.

Villeneuve had a tough fight with his new teammate, Didier Pironi. Unfortunately, this fight ended after the fifth round, at the Belgian GP, in which Villeneuve collided in practice with Jochen Mass at 200 km/h, causing his car to fly and disintegrate, ending Gilles\’ life.

Although statistics do not play in his favor, Villeneuve was one of the best drivers of his generation, as he never had truly competitive cars, and always had to outperform mediocre Ferraris.

12. Carlos Reutemann

Active years: 1972-1982

Entries: 146

Wins: 12

Podiums: 45

Pole Positions: 6

Runner-up in 1981

Although most of Carlos Reutemann\’s racing career took place in the 70s, in the 80s he continued at a spectacular level, fighting for championships during the first years of the decade. The Argentinean, from humble origins, gave his all to reach F1.

During the 1970s he established himself as a potential world champion, proving very competitive with any car, and finishing third in the championship on two occasions. In 1980, Reutemann signed for Williams and fought for the championship against his teammate Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet, although he only came third.

It was in the 1981 season when he came closest to winning the championship, as he was only 1 point behind the champion, Nelson Piquet. With two races to go, the Argentinean was leading the championship, but a change in the tire brand caused him to lose speed, according to him.

The Argentinean retired from F1 after a couple of races in 1982, as there was a bad atmosphere in the team, since Reutemann did not accept to be Alan Jones\’ second driver and turned to politics.

13. Riccardo Patrese

Active years: 1977-1993

Entries: 257

Wins: 6

Podiums: 37

Pole Positions: 8

Runner-up in 1992 and 3^rd in the championship in 1989 and 1990

Riccardo Patrese is the ninth driver in history with the most races contested, a record he held for almost 20 years. Despite his long career, Patrese almost always had very unreliable cars with which he could not fight for championships.

Until 1987, the Italian had driven for Shadow, Arrows, Brabham, Benetton, and Alfa Romeo, scoring a couple of wins and occasional podiums, although he had numerous retirements. In 1982 he beat his teammate Nelson Piquet, but the Brazilian outperformed him in the following years.

His best period in Formula 1 was with Williams from 1988 when the British team was at its peak. 1989 was Patrese\’s best season in Formula 1 during the 1980s. The Italian finished third in the championship, behind the McLarens of Prost and Senna, who were at another level.

Already in the 1990s, Patrese became the perfect second driver to Nigel Mansell, who outperformed the Italian and won the title in 1992 in one of the most dominant seasons in history. Patrese did his job, finishing runner-up. The Italian retired at the end of 1993, having collected 6 wins, 37 podiums, and 8 pole positions.

\"\" — Editorial credit: rook76 / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

Some of the great legends of Formula 1 were forged in the 1980s, and many of the foundations of today were laid, as it was a very interesting period when engineers and aerodynamicists began to try many new things, more complex than those previously seen.

It was a period of great competitiveness and great rivalries, in which there were 6 different world champions and in which some teams of the first decades of F1 declined, while other new teams such as McLaren and Williams established themselves as the strongest.